Nicholas Hlobo

Balindile I

2012

© Nicholas Hlobo, courtesy Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town

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Not on display

Artist: Nicholas Hlobo born 1975
Medium: Rubber inner tubes, steel, hosepipes and ribbon
Dimensions: Overall display dimensions variable
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased with funds provided by the 2012 Outset / Frieze Art Fair Fund to benefit the Tate Collection 2013
Reference: T13737

Display caption

Balindile I is titled in Hlobo’s native language Xhosa, a Nguni language widely spoken in South Africa. Translated as ‘those in waiting’, it refers to the black rubber form that appears to be rising up, in a state of limbo. The rubber is from the inner tube of a car tyre, gathered from repair shops in Johannesburg. The hosepipe appears to be acting as a tether, limiting movement. It could also represent an umbilical cord, signifying growth and possibility.

Gallery label, August 2019

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